They get all of the thrill and none of the risk. Middle and high school students in Lackawanna and Luzerne counties are tinkering with the stock market through the Pennsylvania Council on Financial Literacy’s annual Stock Market Challenge
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A pilgrimage to the ends of the Earth to fight an evil overlord, a quest to find the last strand of hope left in the world before the apocalypse, an adventure to Target to figure out what would be the best market price for your new product…

Each of these, including the trip to Target, can make for epic tales, and the latter of the three might just be the most dangerous and rewarding.

“There is a journey that an entrepreneur goes through, “ Cena Block, business strategist and mompreneur mentor, says of starting a new business venture. “There are tests, there is doubt, there is fear, there is darkness…Then there is a decision of some kind — and rising action…Where an entrepreneur truly commits to what they want…”

As many journeys do, Cena’s start wasn’t immediately in the world business.

“My Mom was a choir director and private studio and voice teacher… and my Dad was a very talented musician, who…enjoyed playing trumpet and piano.”

With a background such as this, much of Cena’s early life was filled with a plethora of extracurriculars and musical dreams. That was until it was time to apply for college.

“I was disenchanted by becoming a musician or a performer…because I bought into the philosophy that I would not be able to make the kind of income that I saw desired in those different occupations. Instead I chose to pursue a college degree in television and radio arts.”

The dream of breaking into the television and radio world was quickly dissolved as Cena realized she did not have the connections a young woman in the 80s would need to pursue these careers effectively.

She took this as a sign to continue her education in graduate school with a degree in corporate communications.

“When I got my first job out of graduate school, I realized the importance and benefit of working and getting a regular paycheck. … I put my dreams and aspirations for performance on hold and just continued to pursue them as a hobby.”

In the present day, Cena has been busy balancing a full work load, being a mom herself and mentoring other Mompreneurs, through her website Sanespaces.com and the creation of her instructional programs: The Magnificent Mompreneur Mastermind Academy, Planapaloozah, and AWAKE! Manage Your Time To Love Your Life.

Her main advice on managing family life and being a business woman: “I believe that you have to create your family, your lifestyle, and your primary relationships in a way that serves you, your loved ones, and the world in the best way you ALL can.”

Having a strong relationship with your husband, and/or significant other, for support and positivity is another way to strengthen both the relationship of both your home and work lives.

Her relationship with her boys has become stronger through her strong and positive relationship with her husband. She encourages both her children to become entrepreneurs themselves.

“I believe that owning a business offers the highest upward potential for today’s youth,” Cena says of the future of entrepreneurs.

As for mentoring others outside her family, Cena works with Mompreneurs usually within their first five years. She has built online modules and group coaching programs to serves many different groups.

The largest struggle many Mompreneurs suffer with is not realizing how valuable their time actually is. Instead of hiring a professional, who can complete a task correctly and effectively, the try to do too much themselves, which only leads to more chaos and time wasting.

But at the end of journey, though the quest to Target might not have yielded ideal results, through strong relationships and a little mentoring, an entrepreneur can succeed. To learn more about Cena Block and her business visit www.sanespaces.com.

Donna J. Simpson is the consultant manager at The University of Scranton Small Business Development Center. Marina N. Orrson is a freelance writer.

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